Andrew Weissman's San Antonio & Beyond (PHOTOS)

Chef Andrew Weissman, who owns a slew of restaurants in San Antonio, doesn't just travel for fun, he travels for food. "I don't have friends who don't travel for food," he tells Huffington Post Travel from his home in San Antonio.

With the town heading into its third day of Fiesta, a nearly two-week, city-wide party that no one really remembers the origins of ("I think it comes at the end of Lent, but if you asked people on the street, 9 out of 10 of them wouldn't know what they're celebrating," he tells HP), Huffington Post Travel talked with the San Antonio-reared chef about his favorite (and least favorite) spots in and around town, as well as his favorite destinations around the world.

On his favorite eats in San Antonio:
"I'm hugely into ethnic foods. My favorite is this super-off-the-radar Mexican place named after a metro stop in Mexico City called Metro Basilica. I also really like an Indian/Pakistani place called Kohinoor, that's owned by a family. The eighth grade daughter is a waitress and I always tell her 'make me whatever your dad wants.' They have this pickled mango that's a condiment, but I'll eat it in and of itself."

He has a few other favorites, including an unnamed taco truck on Commerce Street. And some new discoveries, too, such as the Monterey, a gastro-pub "with really delicious braised pork belly", and The Friendly Spot, with outdoor furniture on granite that serves beer and margaritas, tacos and other Tex-Mex type food.

As for his favorite hotels, he puts his family up in either of the "boutique-y" hotels, Watermark or Hotel Valencia, which sits on the River.

For more of his tips for San Antonio travelers, as well as his favorite spots around the world, check out the slideshow below.

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"I love going to the New River Extension, a 1.2 mile extension to the river with art installations under the bridges. I'm really proud of the town's amazing park system; San Antonio will soon be home to the longest-continually running linear park in the country. People are starting to exercise more, too. The town just got B-cycle, a bicycling share program that's the first in Texas. I'd love to get folks on bikes and cruise around town to the King William historic district, an old area with cool homes and restaurants. I'd do a pub crawl on a bike!"
Flickr: Corey Leopold

"Blue Star Contemporary Art Center is a must."
Now in its 25th year, Blue Star is the longest-running venue for contemporary art in town.
As for San Antonio's most famous tourist attraction: "I haven't been to the Alamo in probably 25 years. It has become a circus of the absurd and it's not indicative of San Antonio. I hate to hear that people come here and that's what they do," he says.
Flickr: Sultry

Weissman says: "The city comes to a halt during Fiesta. People have parties in their homes. There's a huge art fair at the Southwest School of Art where they get artists to show their work in a flea market setting so people can stroll through booths."
San Antonio Tourism Board

During Fiesta, "in King William historic district, there are food booths, live music and people walking around. Lots of meat on a stick, stuff like that."

Weissman says: "My wife is from Costa Rica so we always try someplace new when we go there. Unfortunately, her family lives in San Jose. We love Dominical on the Osa Peninsuala. The beaches and the foothills of the mountains are so gorgeous."

"I love the food stalls in Barcelona off Las Ramblas. There is this traditional dish of octopus under Spanish olive oil with Spanish smoked paprika that is great," Weissman says.

As for his favorite lunchtime treats: "I love going to Le Chantecler in Nice for lunch. You can be out on the beach and walk up to the restaurant and have a great lunch. I love the ornateness of the restaurant."
Flickr: morberg

As for closer-to-home destinations, Weissman tells us: "I love South Beach. It has this great outdoor vibe and I love that you can go to the beach all day, go home and shower and go out and enjoy a cocktail and some dinner."